But the product that put them on the map is the cup holder that appeared in a Japanese street racing manga series called Initial D. If you are a fan of JDM cars, you probably have heard of Initial D. The story focuses on the world of Japanese street racing, where all the action takes place in the mountain passes and with the drifting racing style emphasized in particular. (Professional race car driver and pioneer of drifting Keiichi Tsuchiya helped with editorial supervision!)
The main character of the story is the 18 year old Takumi Fujiwara who is an average high school kid, but has a talent for driving. Takumi’s father, Bunta, places a paper cup full of water in the cup holder before Takumi delivers tofu every morning. Bunta instructs Takumi not to spill any water in the cup while driving in order to improve Takumi’s driving (and preserve his tofu!). As a result, Takumi learns to drive his car through the twisty mountain road very fast yet very smoothly as he focuses on the water in the cup. Through his dad’s mentoring, Takumi later becomes a legendary driver…
You guessed it! The cup holder used in Initial D was originally designed and sold by SEIKOSANGYO Co. Ltd. They have been selling this cup holder for over 30 years (which is almost unprecedented for an automobile accessory which keeps changing its design over time). It was also the first cup holder designed to clip onto the air vent directly in order to keep the drink warm or cold utilizing the air that flows through the air vent (pretty genius).
Fans of Initial D and JDM cars have taken note of this cup holder as well. Because it really is the cup holder that started the legend!
✓ Designed so that air from the vent will keep your drink cold or warm.
✓ It will not block the vent while not in use.
✓ Supplied with 2 metallic clips to secure the cup holder to the vent.
✓ A product designed and made in Japan.
Available to purchase through Amazon here.
NDF is pleased to announce that we’ll be partnering with SEIKOSANGYO Co., Ltd. to produce our own branded EXEA cupholder in the coming months – a project that we’re very excited about.
Stay tuned and keep an eye on our Instagram and online storefront for more details as we progress in production.